students stretched thin as prices rise
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) community members say they are apprehensive about Toronto’s future following mayor John Tory’s resignation announcement on Friday.
Tory, who has been the city’s mayor since 2014, said in a press conference on Feb. 10, that he would be stepping down from his position following a report published by the Toronto Star which detailed his extramarital relationship with a former city staffer.
“[Tory] deciding to step down just seems very influencer-apology type energy,” said first-year politics and governance student Jordan Tettey. He feels that Tory only stepped down to try and salvage his reputation—not because he felt remorseful about it.
“White men in power can do whatever they want until they get caught,” he said.
Mikayla Densa, a fourth-year fashion design student, had only heard of Tory’s resignation when she was interviewed by The Eyeopener
“In a marriage that’s that long, what’s the point [of cheating]?” she questioned. “And also you’re in a position of authority so you can’t be messing around with your reputation.”
Tory’s announcement does not mean that his resignation will take
effect immediately, said TMU politics and public administration professor emeritus Myer Siemiatycki.
Tory will remain in office to oversee finalizing the Toronto City Budget for 2023, Toronto Budget Chief Gary Crawford told CBC News
After that, there will be a city by-election to vote on Toronto’s new mayor.
The by-election must take place 45 days after Tory steps down, as stated in section 65 of the Municipal Elections Act. Due to the budget meeting-related delays, the byelection will likely be held in April or May, according to Siemiatycki.
Some students say they are concerned for the city’s future.
“I don’t think John Tory was that good of a mayor but then obviously him stepping down creates a lot of uncertainty,” said first-year film studies student Charlotte Turner.
“What’s going to happen with the budget? What’s going to happen with the deputy mayor?”
on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and increased transit fares, are among things to consider when voting in the spring.
“[The housing crisis], safety and police presence. I think that’s what I’ll be paying attention to,” she said.
As a commuter student from Newmarket, Ont., second-year English student Madison Hayes said she hopes for improved TTC operations following the change of power.
“Ever since I’ve been alive or cognisant I really only remember John Tory being mayor,” said Hayes.
Notable topics in this year’s budget include TTC service cuts, increased transit fares, increased police funding and additional funding for crisis support as previously reported by The Eye
“It’s pretty clear that [Tory] is staying on to exercise extended powers of the mayor to push through his preferred budget, which is then going to tie the hands of city council for the next 12 months,” said Siemiatycki.
Strong mayor powers, which were recently introduced in December 2022, allow Toronto’s mayor to veto and pass bills on their own, according to the City of Toronto’s “Strong Mayor Powers Overview.”
“Every issue that is now confronting Toronto, from homelessness to housing affordability to transit to security and safety is going to play out in this election,” he said.
For Tettey, the pressure is on to find a candidate he can trust, he said.
She said recent issues affecting the city, such as the increased violence
This new power makes the upcoming by-election “one of the most interesting and important mayoral elections in the history of the city,”
“Honestly, I’m just concerned about the possibility of having a worse candidate,” said Tetty. “Because as elections keep happening every few years, the candidates stop becoming better and just become worse.”
provincial governments. I think that’s what we heard on stage,” Cohn said in an interview with The Eyeopener
A handful of students, faculty and community members attended the forum, including TMU President Mohamed Lachemi and vicepresident, equity and community inclusion Tanya De Mello.
At the forum, Ien and Williams said they initially met at a Black History Month event back in 2018, when Williams became the first Black woman to be elected to Brampton’s city council.
By Prapti BamaniyaTwo Canadian cabinet ministers from opposing parties and different government levels came together at a democracy forum on Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) campus to discuss their roles as Black women in politics on Feb. 9. Marci Ien, the federal Minister for Women and Gender Equality, was joined by Charmaine Williams, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity.
women
The forum discussed their overlapping work and experiences as Black women politicians in their fight for race equality and women’s rights.
Regg Cohn said he invited the two guests to “humanize politics.”
“They both have great life stories and what I think they do is try to break down partisan barriers and even regional rivalries between federal and
In 2022, Williams became the first Black person to ever be appointed to the Progressive Conservative (PC) party’s cabinet.
Ien graduated from TMU’s radio and television arts program in 1991. She was pursuing journalism before she began her political career and remembered being in awe of Williams’ journey.
“It was beautiful and I still remember it, I thought, ‘who is this powerful woman?’ It has been such
an honour just to follow [her] move and [her] progression,” said Ien at the forum.
Regg Cohn asked Ien and Williams how the two—despite being from opposing parties—get along.
When it comes to specific issues, Ien responded, partisanship rarely intrudes.
“You have to work together and do what is best for the people,” Ien said.
Williams shared a similar sentiment. “When you’re a Black person, you identify as a Black person first; that’s how I see it,” she said.
While both spoke to their “bigger picture” goals to fight genderbased violence in Canada, they shared the backlash and abuse they face as public figures.
“Black women, racialized women, nobody gets it like us,” said Ien.
She said she faced death threats as a journalist and, while dealing with the comments was difficult, it motivated her to become a politician. As a journalist, Ien said her opinions were often hushed and were the reason she received abuse.
“I got the ‘shut up and just read the teleprompter’ quite often…and that’s why the conversation about running was really important,” said Ien.
Vincia Herbert, an employee from
the Midwives Collective of Toronto, came to see the forum because she said it was a chance to support Black women in leadership positions.
“It was a good opportunity to see different political parties,” she said. “Black women in charge of particular portfolios and pushing agendas forward that typically only get brought forward by white women or white men.”
TMU president Mohamed Lachemi said in an interview with The Eye that events engaging conversations about inclusion, like this one, can be very powerful.
“It’s always good to bring this type of conversation to our campus,” he said.
Both Ien and Williams told The Eye they would happily come back to TMU for another forum.
“I think it’s been an important conversation and especially seeing women in the room and being able to talk about women in leadership,” said Williams.
“Hopefully, we can inspire another generation of leaders.”
“[Tory] deciding to step down just seems very influencerapology type energy”Toronto Star columnist Martin Regg Cohn moderated the conversation between the two at the Sears Atrium.
“When you’re a Black person, you identify as a Black person first; that’s how I see it”KONNOR KILLORAN/THE EYEOPENER SAMMY KOGAN/THE EYEOPENER SAMMY KOGAN//THE EYEOPENER according to Siemiatycki. With files from Gabriela Silva Ponte
“You have to work together and do what is best for the people”
Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) campus pub announced at its launch party on Feb. 2 that its name will change from the Ram in the Rye to The Met.
The launch, hosted by the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union (TMSU), ran from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and invited all TMU students to celebrate the new name with a DJ and featured drinks.
“The Met represents the community at school perfectly,” said TMSU president Marina Gerges. “It’s short, it shows the new era that we have here with the new name.”
The pub’s name change comes 10 months after the university announced its name would be changing from Ryerson University to TMU.
Restaurant manager Crystal Pettman said renaming the pub took so long because of student input and legal matters.
“We wanted to take our time to make sure that we actually heard as many people’s voices as we could,” she said. “You have to make sure you can get the domain names, you have to make sure that you can legally register the name with Ontario.”
“They did a poll and there were answers, but it was a little half baked,” Zivkovic said. “They didn’t really go all the way to get everyone’s opinion or at least a majority that could tell them that this is not exactly what we wish for.”
He thinks The Met was the wrong choice out of all three options.
“I think they could have done a lot of the changes they made with more finesse,” he said.
At the start of the event, balloons spelling out “The Met” were brought into the pub to officially announce the new name.
Keifer de Sousa, a first-year early childhood studies student, said he wanted to be at the event to celebrate the name change.
“I wanted to be a part of that transition, being at the last party at the Ram in The Rye and the first party at the new name,” he said.
The pub initially asked community members to offer suggestions for the new pub name on social media in October.
Pettman said they received between 50 and 100 suggestions.
From the list, the team narrowed it down to three options—Falcon’s Nest, Falcon in The Sky and The Met. Students were invited to give their input on these options via Instagram comments and direct messages, said Pettman.
Lazar Zivkovic, a fourth-year biomedical engineering student, doesn’t think the pub did enough to get student opinions.
“Honestly, I couldn’t name a single peer of mine, a friend of mine, who actually knew that this polling was done at the time or that engaged with it,” he said.
For Zivkovic, the establishment’s previous name gave it a different feel.
“It really felt like a community pub, something that could draw students in. Whereas this just seems very bland and very generic. I’m not too much of a fan of it,” he said.
But some TMU students say they actually like the new name.
university by its old name or other wrong names.
“This name was the right choice, since many people refer to the university as ‘Toronto Met” said de Sousa.
“I feel like it’s a short and sweet way of summarizing our school’s name,” he said.
De Sousa added TMU’s mascot is difficult to understand since it is a Falcon but the athletic teams are called the Bold, which complicated the renaming options.
“I feel like if they referred to it with something to do with the Falcon’s name, everyone would not understand it,” he said.
De Sousa said renaming the pub is an important step toward change, with some people still calling the
“A lot of people are still trying to transition but I feel like it’s an important way to transition so we can move forward in this new era of this new school,” he added.
Abby Barrett, a third-year image arts student, likes the name because it reminds her of The Met Gala—an annual celebrity fundraising event.
“Short and sweet, gets to the point and it is actually in the university’s name,” she said.
Barrett said the pub’s name change is important because it doesn’t involve anyone’s specific name within it.
An Instagram post announcing the new name and logo was promptly posted to the pub’s page after the name was announced, and its comments filled with controversy over the logo.
“It’s too simple, too generic and it needs a bit more decoration,” said de Sousa.
Some commenters on The Met pub’s Instagram account also noted the similarity between its logo and that of The Met Dining Room, which is a Ted Rogers School of Management student-run restaurant used to help hospitality and tourism management students develop service experience.
“Our designers must have had the same brain. I have no idea how that happened, complete oversight on our part. So we’re back to the drawing board on that,” Pettman said.
TMU president Mohamed Lachemi congratulated students on the new name.
“The Met is a fitting new name and one that honors our new university name,” he said. “I hope it continues to be a place where the community will go to celebrate with good food and great friends.”
Pettman added the next step is changing the pub’s signage.
“They did a poll and there were answers, but it was a little half baked”
“It’s too simple, too generic and it needs a bit more decoration”The Met Dining Room told The Eyeopener that it had no comment on the matter. KONNOR KILLORAN/THE EYEOPENER KINZA ZAFAR/THE EYEOPENER
“I feel like it’s a short and sweet way of summarizing our school’s name”
“I hope it continues to be a place where the community will go to celebrate”KINZA ZAFAR/THE EYEOPENER
Editor-in-Chief
Abeer “Gaslight” Khan
By Thea Gribilas and Abeer KhanThe first thing young journalists learn is to write clearly, concisely and accurately. It’s what we’re taught in school and it’s what we, here at The Eyeopener, practice in our reporting on a daily basis.
We check our facts and make sure that what we’re reporting is true and reflective of the information that we have at the time of publication.
On Jan. 25, we published a story highlighting the concerns over increased security on campus. In the story, we detailed how Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) announced a “partnership” with Toronto Police Services to have officers on campus.
The word “partnership” that was used in the article was taken directly from a TorontoMet Today—TMU’s own in-house publication—statement published on January 10.
It said the school would be “partnering with Toronto Police Service to have officers on foot and bike patrol who proactively engage with our on-campus community to provide an additional layer of support for our security team.”
In that same edition of The Eye, editor-in-chief Abeer Khan wrote an editorial—an opinion piece— questioning TMU’s lack of transparency regarding the partnership.
The Eye was subsequently emailed by the school requesting an “immediate correction” due to there being “no formal partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and Toronto Police Service (TPS).”
In another email, a university communications representative said while the university did use the term “partnership” to characterize their relationship with TPS, the university did not mean they had a formal partnership. Instead, they were referring to a “working relationship between two parties.”
Well, the Merriam-Webster dictionary and the Cambridge dictionary disagree with that definition.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines partnership as “the state of being a partner” and the Cambridge dictionary defines partner as “a person or organization you are closely involved with in some way.”
The definition of the term partnership seems pretty clear—and it’s not TMU’s definition.
Yet the university continued to dispute our definition (the correct definition) of the term they used.
We argued via email that since
the university itself uses the word “partnering,” a reasonable person would assume that the university would correctly characterize its own relationship with the police.
The university representative replied back, saying “a reasonable journalist would ask for clarification before running an accusatory editorial based on the interpretation of a single word.”
a writer can look critically and offer opinion on issues that are impacting the community.
Third, the onus is not on the editorial staff to clarify the definition of a word that is clearly used, nor is it principled for the university to amend the definition of a commonly used word to fit their own narrative—which is what they have done.
Despite these facts, the university maintains we got it wrong.
We have three issues here. First, it is the university’s responsibility to ensure that the press releases they send are factually correct and mean what they say.
Second, an editorial is meant to be a place for fair comment—where
While we stand by the fact that we reported on what the university itself said, a clarification has been issued on our stories to help reflect their definition of partnership and to ensure our readers are correctly informed on the happenings of the school.
With that being said, in the future, TMU Public Relations needs to ensure that they mean what they say and say what they mean.
Following publication of the story: “Increased security scrutinized as TMU community expresses concerns over whose safety matters,” and the editorial: “Where was the transparency in TMU’s partnership with Toronto Police?” we received a letter to the editor from the Toronto Metropolitan University public relations team. It reads:
To the editor: I am writing about two stories in the January 25, 2023 issue of The Eyeopener— the editorial Where was the transparency in TMU’s partnership with Toronto Police? and the article Increased security scrutinized as TMU community expresses concerns over whose safety matters— that include incorrect and misleading information about the university’s relationship with the Toronto Police Service (TPS):
To be absolutely clear, there is no formal or new partnership between Toronto Metropolitan University and Toronto Police Service (TPS).
The claims by The Eyeopener that the
university “soft-launched” a partnership; that we did not announce such a partnership; and that any type of partnership could or would occur without community consultation are all completely untrue and without any basis in fact.
University communications routinely use the word “partnership” to describe informal work with many organizations such as the City of Toronto, government agencies, service providers, and others in our precinct, including TPS.
It is unfortunate and disappointing that The Eyeopener willfully misinterpreted a single word in a larger communication to form the basis for an erroneous editorial and article. It is further disheartening that The Eyeopener did not make any effort to contact anyone at the university seeking clarification, more information or even a comment.
This lack of follow-up misrepresents the intentions and actions of the University and only serves to misinform the TMU community.
Sincerely, Michael Forbes, Executive Director of Communications at TMUNews
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Amending the definition of a word to fit your own narrative is dishonest and
A reasonable person would assume the university would correctly characterize its relationship with the police.
After every trip Abbie North takes to Loblaws on Carlton Street, she’s forced to edit and refine her grocery list to prioritize cheaper products. Grocery shopping has now become a trip that needs to be planned out carefully in order for her to get access to everything she needs.
“It feels like every time I am going grocery shopping, prices have gone up,” says the second-year journalism student.
Due to rising inflation and the recent end to the Loblaws “price freeze” on its No Name brand products—which provided students with a cheap way to access their groceries—Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students on a budget have to account for a surge in prices as the cost for basic needs, like dairy and produce, increases steadily.
North says she had to restructure her whole budget to be able to afford her necessities, especially since her main source of income comes from her minimum-wage job as a full-time student.
“I have an Excel sheet, a sort of budget app that I created, just to be able to keep track of my spending,” she says. “In this economy, if I am not really careful and strict with my money, I won’t be able to afford everything I need on a monthly basis.”
But students are not the only ones to worry about rising prices. Food experts are also expressing warnings concerning the state of today’s economy.
“We all know that the price of food is going up rapidly, and more rapidly than the overall rate of inflation, which has also been high. We also know rent costs are going up, the cost of living is just really high in general and people’s
incomes have not kept up,” says Elaine Power a professor in the faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University.
The cost of many basic needs have risen over the past year as inflation continues to climb up across the country. According to Canada’s Food Price Report 2023, there is a predicted five to seven per cent food price increase in 2023.
Power added that in Canada, there are only a few large grocery store chains that control most of the grocery market.
Loblaws has its own independent food markets, while Sobeys, FreshCo, Farm Boy and Safeway are all owned by Empire Group in Nova Scotia. This growing economic monopoly could be dangerous on an individual level.
“It ends up that there’s only a very few number of grocery store chains, that the ownership is really concentrated, and then they can do whatever they want,” Power says. “There’s not the kind of competition with prices that you would normally see in the market.”
needs to pay for by herself, living alone.
As grocery prices rise, Harbin says she struggles to manage her expenses when it comes to shopping for food and eating properly. She says it is difficult to find time for herself and to eat healthily as prices increase.
residents of the City of Toronto,” the report states.
International students have had an especially hard time keeping up with the prices increase. Adding on to international tuition fees and— more often than not—complicated and restricted laws when it comes to labour, it can be difficult to earn enough income to have access to all basic human needs.
Olivia Harbin, a second-year journalism student at TMU, works two jobs in order to afford her rent, on top of other expenses like groceries and bills—everything she
“I pay for everything myself, so it is hard to balance all of that, especially with school on top of it,” she says. “We are always told to prioritize our mental health, but often you need to take on mentally and physically draining jobs if you want to earn enough to be able to cover all of your expenses.”
According to a 2022 report from TMU’s Centre for Studies in Food Security, students are struggling to have a healthy, balanced diet in the current economy.
“Prior to the outbreak, food insecurity was already a serious pub-
TMU’s greenhouse initiative tries to balance out the costs of inflation by providing fresh produce grown on campus after the pandemic. But challenges have been met along the way and need to be addressed in order for its workers to meet expected goals.
“The unfortunate piece with the greenhouse, which is funded through Agriculture Canada, is they don’t support staffing costs, so that’s going to be our biggest challenge moving into the next year,” the report states.
“If [students] don’t have family members to help out, it is going to be really hard to keep up with inflation,” she says. “Grocery stores have taken advantage of rising prices, and students now struggle to eat properly. Food banks are only a temporary solution, but students really need to prioritize their health in these difficult times.”
Feed Ontario is a collective of hunger relief organizations who recently reported in an independent research study Ontario’s food banks were accessed by nearly 600,000 people. For students who needs support, students can attend initiatives such as the Good Food Centre, a Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union initiative for students in need of groceries.
Power also shared her concerns about students’ food security in the
“If students start eating less, or cutting out on whole food categories like dairy, it can be very dangerous. And that is why they should receive as much support as they can get, from their school but also from the government. Food security is the most important aspect of their lives,” Power adds.
Alternatives to the high prices at grocery stores also include apps like Too Good To Go, which provides help by allowing its users to pick up food that cannot be sold by stores in the area. Flash Food and Hungry Harvest are also services which help out students bound by a tight budget while preventing food waste.
But for most people, it feels like more resources are needed to get through these harder times.
“I just wish more options were made available to students or just to people on a strict budget in general. If prices continue to go up like this, cheaper ways to afford groceries would be more than welcome,” North says.
“If I am not really careful and strict with my money, I won’t be able to afford everything I need.”EDWARD LANDER/THE EYEOPENER KONNOR KILLORAN/THE EYEOPENER
“I just wish more options were made available to students”
Michael Lawson* remembers the tension leading up to the moments before he went to the dentist’s office to get his wisdom teeth removed. It was a hot day in August of 2017, the summer between Grade 10 and Grade 11. He was with his mom and aunt and he remembers specifically telling them not to believe anything he said until the laughing gas wore off. Lawson was worried he was going to tell them he was gay and he hadn’t come out to them yet.
But on the car ride home, while he was still feeling fuzzy from the laughing gas, Lawson accidentally let it slip out.
There was a slight, brief moment of anxiety.
And yet, within an instant, everything was alright—he remembers both his mom and aunt telling him it was okay and to just close his eyes.
“I knew they were accepting but I remember crying really hard because I just felt this huge weight lifted off my chest,” says Lawson. “It was a really cool moment because they didn’t really make a big deal out of it.”
He says he was welcomed and accepted by his friends when he came out to them before Grade 9 and by his immediate family when he slowly started openly identifying as gay in Grade 11. Sure, there were a few mean people but he was never really faced with a lot of outwardly malicious treatment. He describes his younger, high school self as someone who was outgoing, friendly and excited to meet new people.
The part that was hard, Lawson says, was the fact that there were hardly any other people like him who were also openly out.
“Even if I did have friends to talk to, most of them were girls so none of them really understood exactly where [I was] coming from,” says Lawson. He says he didn’t really have anyone who understood what it was like to navigate dating in high school from a gay guy’s perspective.
During a time when a lot of young people start to explore an overwhelming wave of intense, complex feelings and experience many firsts, Lawson says he felt as though he was left watching from the sidelines. He’d seen so many of his friends get into relationships and experience the rush of a “first love.”
He remembers feeling happy for his friends when they would experience their first kisses or their first dates. At the same time, he remembers really wanting to experience that feeling too.
“I felt like I needed to have a boyfriend because that’s what all of my friends were doing,” says Lawson. “They all had boyfriends. And I didn’t have one yet.”
As he watched more of his friends get into relationships, he was left wondering why it wasn’t happening for him yet.
“I felt like it was kind of like a me thing. Like it was my fault that I didn’t have a boyfriend.”
For most of his high school years, Lawson had a clear idea of what he was looking for in a partner and a relationship—he just never really had the opportunity to date, nor was he comfortable with putting himself out there. Sometimes, he’d even find himself in situations where the guys he would be speaking to were unable to be openly queer.
“I was kind of in a difficult position because I felt [like] in high school I was accepting of myself but I didn’t know if others were ready to be accepting of themselves yet,” says Lawson.
It’s a concept that’s as old as time itself–the thrill of young
Words by Nika Petrosian Visuals by Kinza Zafar
love and its relentless power. It is ingrained in the movies we consider classics, the novels we study in school and the music that stands the test of time. Many of the pillars of Western pop culture are built upon grandiose, passionate stories of young lovers with larger-than-life romantic gestures that defy the laws of logic, space and time.
For a lot of young, queer people, however, the rush of a first romance looks a lot different than what is shown in the movies. Instead of experiencing the hand-holding in high school hallways or the nervous goodbye kisses before classes start, young 2SLGBTQIA+ people are often left in the dark to navigate the turbulence and rush of a first romance on their own.
It would be hard not to feel that way when you rarely see yourself represented in the movies and real-life relationships around you.
After all, regardless of sexuality, the desire to be known, wanted and embraced wholly–romantically or otherwise—is an inherent part of being human and being alive.
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) professional communications professor Zorianna Zurba, whose work involves studying romance in media and the philosophy of love, describes a first love as a monumental part of any person’s life.
“I think it can be really easy to overlook the magnitude of being accepted for who you are and finding someone who is attracted to you based on an identity that you’ve created for yourself,” says Zurba.
Unsurprisingly, for a lot of queer students entering TMU, with its location in the heart of downtown Toronto—one of the most diverse and highly populated areas in Canada—opens up the floodgates for opportunities for them to experience their firsts for the first time. The exposure to an overwhelming number of new people, ideas and environments offers a lot of young queer students the potential to explore their sexualities and identities in ways they didn’t really have the option to earlier in life.
According to a 2012 study from Wright University, which surveyed 159 gay and lesbian college students, university campuses generally tend to be accepting and welcoming environments. There is a kindness that, for a lot of queer students just finishing high school, is new and profound.
The freedom, the exposure to new people, to nightlife, clubs, dating apps—being able to navigate a life outside of the confines of high school, opens up an entire world of possibilities, potential and new experiences for queer people to experience romance.
First-year chemistry student Livia Whynott remembers the cool, crisp October afternoon in 2015 when she came out to her mother as bisexual. She was in Grade 6 at the time and her mother had just picked her up from school. As she sat in the passenger seat of her mother’s car while they waited on the corner of Confederation and King streets in Mississauga, Ont., Whynott remembers saying, “Mom, I like boys and girls.”
There wasn’t even a brief moment of pause or hesitation before her mom responded with a nonchalant “Okay,” before continuing to ask about her day. Whynott says she had anticipated a reaction like this; she had just started openly identifying as queer to her teachers and peers and knew her mom was not homophobic or unaccepting of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
And yet for some reason, the calm, almost indifferent response from her mother was still so profoundly meaningful to her. Today, at 18 years old, she says her mom’s simple “Okay,” has grounded her. It made her feel as though it really wasn’t a big deal. It just was and will continue to be one of the many parts of who she is.
Similar to Lawson, while Whynott had experienced her fair share of bullying and teasing from her peers when she first came out, by the time she started high school, she was comfortable in her own skin and found a solid, tight-knit group of friends who accepted, understood and welcomed her.
But because she was one of the only few openly queer kids at her 600-person high school in the suburbs, finding herself in a queer relationship was, unsurprisingly, challenging.
“In high school, they may have been accepting but there weren’t a lot of gay people. So there weren’t a lot of people to choose from,” says Whynott.
So when she found herself newly single in 2023, after ending a three-year relationship with her boyfriend in the autumn of 2022, she embraced the opportunity to start dating women with optimism. Starting a new phase of her life as a university student was significant for Whynott as she came into her own as a young adult but also in her journey exploring her identity and sexuality as a young queer person.
“I felt like a fake bisexual for a long time,” says Whynott. She says she decided to end her previous relationship so that she would be able to explore her sexuality, her gender identity and herself—something she feels she has more opportunity to do now since starting university. This has been especially powerful for her as she began exploring her gender identity and expression as a gender fluid person—another facet of the queer experience that can sometimes still be misunderstood. She says being a nonbinary person in what seemed to be a predominantly straight high school was where she had the most difficulty.
“I’m so femme-presenting that if I tell somebody that I feel more masculine, they won’t believe me,” says Whynott. “They won’t accept it or they won’t understand it.”
And it’s true—a 2021 study from the Journal of Pedagogy, Culture & Society found that there are still virtually no supports available to non-binary students in high school. Hardly any academic research even exists on what the non-binary high school experience is like. During a time like high school, when young people are trying so desperately to find themselves without straying too far from the norm, non-binary students are left to feel simultaneously neglected and alienated.
So for Whynott and many others like her, being surrounded by thousands of different students every single day at TMU has granted her a sense of freedom. She knows that for every non-accepting person she may meet, there are going to be many more students who understand her.
“I find comfort in the fact that nobody knows me here,” she says. It’s a stark contrast from high school, where everyone knew each other’s whereabouts at all times and rumours would spread within a matter of hours.
“I can be a guy one day and I can be a girl one day and nobody’s gonna care. They’ll probably think there’s two different people,” says Whynott. “So I find comfort in the fact that I have friends, but also that nobody gives a shit about me. I’m just another face in the walk.”
The feeling of being free to safely explore sexuality and gender in university also rings true for those students in the queer community who come from unsupportive or oppressive backgrounds, says TMU queer media professor Andrea Houston.
“There’s quite a few students who are obviously interna-
tional students who come from countries where it’s dangerous to be queer, it’s dangerous to put yourself out there. Some even come from countries where it’s still a crime to be gay…” says Houston.
She says that 2SLGBTQIA+ spaces and groups at universities like TMU, as well as the nearby Church Street community, serve as important structures for international queer students, especially if they come from countries with anti-gay laws.
For many students, university can also be an escape from unaccepting family or relatives—a circumstance that is unfortunately far too common in the queer community. Houston added that it could be devastating to young people to have to hide such an integral part of themselves.
“I can’t imagine too many things that are more destructive on a person, especially a young person, than that,” says Houston.
But at the heart of it, starting university is nothing short of liberating for many queer students.
Houston says at campuses like TMU, many students are also exposed to queer history for the first time in their lives. For queer students, learning the background of how the 2SLGBTQIA+ community came to be can also be incredibly powerful.
“All of that comes because of other young people who did it for you. Who opened up the doors. So that these acts of liberation and these acts of freedom could happen,” she says.
Being exposed to queer education and taking it all in is exceptionally affirming and liberating, says Houston.
Alongside the massive amounts of new students that constantly flow through campuses like TMU, the internet and its inescapable reach has also become an essential part of connection and discovery. A 2013 study from the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health found that online spaces can create a safe environment for 2SLGBTQIA+ people to interact with resources, education and each other without the stigma or barriers that exist offline.
This same sentiment can be applied to dating apps. A 2017 study from Rowan University in New Jersey found that the number of 2SLGBTQIA+ users on dating apps is significantly higher than heterosexual ones. It’s the idea of knowing that you are talking to someone who is looking for the same thing as you and that you are safe in assuming that you are talking to someone who is queer without a doubt.
Being queer herself, this is something that resonates with Houston deeply. While flirting isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone, for the most part, straight people are able to flirt while assuming the other person is also straight—a luxury that isn’t really afforded to queer people.
“I think for queer people especially, there’s some fear there— maybe you’re not going to talk to the right person. What if you flirt with somebody who maybe isn’t as supportive of LGBTQ diversity?” says Houston. “That’s a concern as well that young people absolutely have, and with good reason.”
Whynott says she’s in the process of setting up her firstever date with a girl. She matched with her on Tinder and they’ve been chatting online for a few days now. She found out that, coincidentally, they both live in the same building, just a few floors apart. She smiles as she says that this would be one of the first times she’s felt a real connection with a girl and
how excited she is to pursue it.
“I couldn’t have imagined this a year ago, being in high school. I couldn’t imagine talking to a woman. And now that I actually am and we have a date planned, I’m really excited for it. So it’s really sweet. And for the first time, I can [imagine it],” she says.
Whynott says although she is quite comfortable in her own skin, she is very shy when it comes to romance. The process of actively pursuing someone is something she has never really experienced before.
“It’s going to be something new and something exciting. So I’m really excited for it,” she says.
She giggles as she jokes about the prospect of getting her heart broken or dumped, saying it’s about time karma got to her but there is a sense of resilience there, too.
She’s excited to be able to freely date and explore her identity as a queer person and she braces herself for all the possibilities—good and bad—with optimism and a smile.
There is a sense of sweetness and relief when Lawson talks about how he’s grown over the past few years post-high school.
As a teenager, he remembers feeling disappointed about his lack of romantic experience. He was someone his friends would turn to for advice or share stories with but he was never really able to experience it with somebody himself.
There is a lot of happiness and fondness in his voice as he mentions how he’s in the beginning stages of a new relationship.
Lawson was a little nervous to go on his first date with his now partner—the two had met online and were set to meet up at 168 Sushi. He says they arrived as soon as the restaurant opened and were the only two customers for a little
As their date progressed—and the noodles and sushi rolls were being delivered to their table—he felt totally comfortable. They shared the same interests and their conversations felt natural.
“We both promised ourselves that we would go to class after but we ended up having such a good time that we decided to skip it,” says Lawson. It’s been five months since their first date and Lawson says he’s very happy about the pace they’re moving at. This is something that he feels he wouldn’t have been able to do when he was still in high school. Back then, when he was experiencing an overwhelming surge of feelings for the first time, sometimes everything felt so profoundly all-or-nothing. “It was hard not to go into romantic encounters full-force,” he says.
He feels as though he’s matured a lot since high school and through being with his current partner. There’s a whole, genuine care for one another that reaches far deeper than surface-level attraction, says Lawson.
By taking it slow, Lawson realizes the authentic connection he has with his partner. They’ve been able to take the time to really understand each other and their relationship, making the wait worthwhile.
“I’m really happy to be in [this relationship] because I wouldn’t want to be with just anybody… I’m just happy that I took my time and took it slow,” he says. “I found somebody that I actually want to be with. I’m pretty proud of myself that I’m not as dependent on wanting a guy.”
Knowing what he knows now, Lawson wishes he could tell his younger self to take a breath and take his time.
“Going super slow doesn’t necessarily mean that the person isn’t into you, it just means that it’s better to take slow steps and be sure of where you are,” he says.
“That’s what I’d tell myself: Just put yourself out there more if you do want to talk to guys but don’t feel like you have to.”
*Source’s name was changed for privacy reasons This
Busra Kotan was having dinner with her family when she heard the news that would change the world around her. “We left our dinner on the table. We were just watching the news,” she says. “[Earthquakes] usually happen in Türkiye but this time it was different.”
On the morning of Feb. 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeast Türkiye and northern Syria, causing the collapse of approximately 3,000 buildings. It was followed by another 7.5 magnitude earthquake a few hours later, according to the United Nations (UN).
As of Feb. 13, the death toll had risen to over 36,000 in the affected regions, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and The White Helmets civil defence group.
Kotan says while not all Turkish students may know people who are directly affected by the disaster, they all share the pain of those who are suffering. “The thing about our culture is…it’s not rooted in individualism,” Kotan says. “We are connected. In times like these…we unite and we share our pain.”
feel the same way.
While the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union (TMSU) and some student groups have stepped up to support the Turkish and Syrian community, Kotan feels the university should be doing more.
Other Ontario universities were quicker to share their support. The University of Toronto posted a list of recent fundraisers on their main Instagram page and referred to a statement from their vice-president just days after the incident.
At the time The Eyeopener interviewed students, TMU had not yet addressed the disaster on its social media pages nor had it sent out any emails in this regard.
On Monday Feb. 13, a week after the tragedy, the school released a TorontoMet Today statement providing links to some mental health resources on campus.
“The thoughts of the entire TMU community are with those who have been affected by the earthquake—both those who have experienced the devastation first hand and those members of our community who have a connection to this area and to family and friends there,” the statement read.
TMU president Mohamed Lachemi has yet to publicly comment on the matter and address the university.
As a fourth-year social work student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Kotan was expecting the university to at least raise awareness about what was happening in her homeland. “That was not the case,” she says.
Instead, Kotan says the university emailed international students at TMU a list of copy and pasted links to resources that were not all updated.
“On the day of the earthquake, our university’s Instagram page posted fun stories,” she says. “We just felt unheard, unseen and uncared for.”
Kotan says she personally knows 16 or 17 other students at TMU who
The Eye reached out to Lachemi for a statement on the situation. “It’s a very tough time and my thoughts and prayers are with students, their families and with all the people who have been affected by this huge earthquake,” he said.
When The Eye asked for a comment regarding students expressing their wish to see more action on behalf of the school, a TMU representative referred us to the TorontoMet Today statement released on Feb. 13.
Kotan says she felt like she was overlooked in the university community when no proper statement was released.
“Some of us tried to contact the mental health services available at the
campus and they just sent us a bunch of forms that we had to fill,” she says.
On campus, there have been student-led efforts to support those impacted by the natural disaster. The TMSU and the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) have organized week-long events to collect donations for Türkiye, Syria and other affected regions.
there for each other.”
Bakir says while the TMSU and MSA are doing their best to get donations, most of what is collected goes toward aiding Türkiye.
“What about Syria?” Bakir asks, saying the best people can do is send monetary donations through The White Helmets, which she says is one of the only reliable resources available to help northern Syrians.
“The circumstances in northern Syria are especially hard because of the border sanctions,” Bakir says. “Even though the American sanctions have eased up a bit at the moment, border crossing is still a big issue.”
ure of the state,” he says. “Wealthy people, corrupt politicians do not suffer as much as the ordinary people on the streets.”
Koç says the aftermath of the earthquakes would’ve been different if the infrastructure of the cities had been stronger and if buildings were constructed to meet engineering standards by appropriate workers.
Aya Bakir, the Faculty of Arts director at the TMSU and a member of the equity and social justice committee as well as the student action committee, says two students started the initiative supported by the students’ union and MSA. The two had reached out to their followers on Instagram looking to collect donations, when Bakir contacted them on behalf of TMSU and later partnered with MSA to amplify their efforts.
Bakir, who lost two family members in Syria last week, has been personally impacted by the earthquakes.
“I’ve been very distraught by everything that’s happening and I want to contribute,” says Bakir.
“It was very traumatic. I still had to come and participate in my daily life as if nothing had happened…the world around me kept moving.”
On Feb. 11, the TMSU posted a statement online regarding the earthquakes. “Many members of our campus community are deeply saddened by the current crisis,” the statement read. “Please be caring and empathetic to each other during this period and reflect on the capacity we have to do our own research, donate energy and resources to relief projects and be
According to the United Nations, northern Syria has been in a state of civil crisis for almost 12 years and has been sanctioned by the United States (U.S.) on key economic sectors such as oil, gas, electricity, trade, construction and engineering. Since the earthquakes, the U.S. has issued a six-month sanction exemption for all transactions related to disaster relief in Syria, as stated by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
The president of the MSA, Sara Fawzy, says it’s important to support those who are impacted and reassure them they’re not alone. “A lot of students might feel helpless,” she says, explaining that the MSA’s goal is to use their platform for good.
Moving forward, the MSA is looking to organize student events centered around mental health to offer additional support to those who need it. “[This] can be very traumatizing,” Fawzy says.
Mustafa Koç, professor of sociology at TMU and an expert on social change and politics in Türkiye, says the country is prone to natural disasters which are made worse with the region’s political actions.
“What we are observing is the fail-
Koç, who is currently in Türkiye, says one thing that makes him really hopeful is the response from people and civil society organizations. “Everybody is here to help save lives, to help people on the streets and people appreciate that,” he says. “It tells us that we are all human and we really need to come to each other’s rescue.”
He says while people in Toronto may not be able to save any lives from afar, they can at least discover their own humanity by sharing their support.
Kotan says even if students can’t donate anything, she advises they reach out to people they know from Türkiye and Syria. “None of us are doing okay,” she says.
“But just [saying] ‘I’m there for you if you need someone to talk to’ [and] make us feel not lonely and abandoned, [that] would be great.”
The Eyeopener has compiled a list of trustworthy resources to help those impacted by the earthquakes. Visit theeyeopener.com for more info.
“Corrupt politicians do not suffer as much as ordinary people on the streets”
“We just felt unheard, unseen and uncared for”
“Just [saying] ‘I’m there for you if you need someone to talk to’ ...[that] would be great”
tionship continued as he started going to TMU.
“So using him as a subject in the book, photographing him…it was interesting because it was my first time photographing him,” Roque says.
He photographed his father around the house to show the environment in which Roque grew up and to illustrate the dynamic of family expectations that was at the root of his theme. Roque also photographed his extended family and the cousins he grew up with.
ally helped shape the photobook. Working on Breathing Under Fucking Water became an opportunity for Roque to reconnect and build a stronger relationship with his father and family. His photobook portrays the struggle and emotion he went through to be where he is now.
By Julia LawrenceIn the Artspace Gallery, photobooks line the walls. Ranging in topics from a parent’s immigration to the K-pop group BTS, each book is a unique piece that reflects the various ways in which third-year School of Image Arts students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) interpreted the theme of mapping.
These works are a part of the First Edition Photobook Exhibition, an annual exhibition in which the public can catch a glimpse of the emerging photographers at TMU.
Artspace described this year’s photobook theme on their website as “narrative, mapping, archives, contemporary portraiture, shifting landscapes and more,” which students have interpreted in their own ways.
When Cate Oxford heard about the theme, her mind immediately went to the idea of mapping inaccessible spaces within the city.
Her photobook, Sorry, You Can’t Get In, blends architectural photography of inaccessible spaces in Toronto alongside portrait photography of Oxford’s father and strangers who have physical disabilities that she met around the city.
Oxford’s father has multiple sclerosis, a slow-moving neurological disease. She has slowly seen the disease render him unable to walk, which is why she decided to incorporate the topic of inaccessibility into a project.
“I could kind of blend this personal side that I really know with this kind of architectural side that is so present in inaccessibility,” Oxford says. “So I was pretty excited because it just felt like a really good opportunity to map something that I feel like I really have a lot of knowledge about.”
Oxford says the “super real, very active” lives of people who are impacted by inaccessibility in the city are often forgotten when we have conversations about societal issues
on a larger scale.
“We sometimes think of inaccessibility as something that we don’t have to worry about as much anymore but because I live with someone who lives in a wheelchair, it’s taught me to see all the holes in inaccessibility.”
Oxford says she hopes that her photobook encourages people to notice the small things that can make a space completely inaccessible for some people and that there’s still a lot of work left to do.
Oxford’s classmate Justynn Roque, narrowed down his photobook topic from toxic masculinity in Southeast Asian culture to the expectations in an immigrant family.
Roque’s photobook, Breathing Under Fucking Water, explores his relationship with his father and other family members through a past, present and future storyline.
“[My father] and I didn’t have a
really good relationship back then, specifically during my university application year,” Roque says. He adds that this strain in their rela-
“Asian or immigrant parents in general always have to compare you to other kids. I’m sure a lot of us deal with that,” Roque says. He says growing up, he was always compared to his cousins who went into business, science or law, while Roque himself wanted to pursue something different. He says he would constantly be told ‘you’re never going to make it’ or ‘you’re never going to be successful.’
Roque adds that capturing that feeling through his photography re-
As a communications coordinator at the student-run Artspace Gallery, Roque recommends visiting the exhibition to support the work of him and his peers that they put a lot of effort into producing.
“We [at the gallery] express the hardships of being a student and putting out your work, so coming into Artspace, these are artists in progress, these students are the future of the creative industry.”
“I was always told ‘You’re never going to make it, you’re never going to be successful’”
“It’s taught me to see all the holes in inaccessibility”
There was an air of disbelief under the bright lights at Downsview Park following the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s soccer team’s heartbreaking 1-0 defeat against the McMaster Marauders at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Final on Nov. 2.
Even with the team knowing they’d be headed to nationals in a week’s time, a not-so-celebratory pizza box sat somberly outside the dressing room while celebratory Marauder-maroon smoke sat in the sky. Spirits were low—with one exception.
“If you watched the [McMaster] game, you wouldn’t even realize we were a man down,” said Bold forward Ameer Kinani. “But that’s football and sometimes, you’re not meant to win. That’s what I believe.”
It’s this sort of statement that has defined second-year Kinani’s young career—one that has seen him go from TMU all the way to the Canadian Premier League (CPL). It’s his open-armed acceptance of every down, knowing they’ll be coupled with a string of ups. During the playoffs, it was Kinani’s 90th minute penalty kick goal that helped the Bold beat a Carleton Ravens team who had bested TMU 5-0 and 3-0 during the regular season.
“I’ve always said my favourite quality in any athlete is the passion they play with,” said Filip Prostran, head coach of TMU’s men’s soccer team. “Every practice, every exercise, every sprint is incredibly meaningful for [Kinani]. His passion is tangible. You can see it when he plays.”
Following their OUA final loss, the Bold took a trip to Thompson River, B.C. where the team competed at the U Sports National Championship, kicking off an eventful two months for Kinani. Broadcast to thousands by CBC Sports, the event is the most significant in a lot of these players’ lives.
against St. Francis Xavier University and Université du Québec à TroisRivières were purely consolation— there was no trophy left to win.
“There was a lack of experience, maybe,” Kinani said. “We were even close to winning the first game. But it wasn’t meant for us.” And while the first loss was tough, he said he was glad the team was able to recover in their following matches. “I was very proud of this group and of everyone working behind the scenes.”
younger but left enough of an impression on the youth coaches and skipper Kyt Selaidopoulos that he was extended the invitation.
“Futsal is a different game. It’s faster and there’s less space,” he said. “There’s nothing better than playing for your country. The program was very good and the players and coaching staff were very welcoming. I had to catch up in the sport.”
The second-year forward was selected in the CPL U Sports Draft on Dec. 15 by expansion Vancouver Football Club (FC), the newest CPL member.
“I had no idea. I didn’t know if I was gonna get drafted,” said Kinani. “I saw on Twitter and Instagram, some mock drafts. Some people said I was gonna get drafted here, I’m getting drafted there.”
While Kinani had a quick virtual meeting with the Vancouver coaching staff prior to the draft, they kept their intentions quiet. They asked him some personal questions about his family and about TMU.
“Some people said I was gonna get drafted here, I’m getting draft there.”
“It’s very exciting,” Kinani said. “Some players get nervous but personally, I was very excited to perform in front of those coaches and everyone else there.”
When TMU lost its quarterfinal match to the eventual finalists and 13-time national champions UBC, their tournament was technically over. Their following matches
Soon after their nationals appearance, Kinani was called up to the Canadian National Futsal team. He was invited to attend the December camp in Montreal in preparation for qualifiers for the upcoming 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Futsal is a type of indoor soccer played on a much smaller surface with five players on the field per team rather than 11. Kinani hadn’t even played futsal since he was much
One can only imagine the surreal feeling of wearing red and white while Alphonso Davies was dawning that same kit in Qatar at the FIFA World Cup. Kinani—who spent the first seven years of his life in Iraq and has played for Iraqi youth teams—still has his sights firmly set on representing Canada should the opportunity arise.
But what transpired just two weeks later has given Kinani a tangible route to playing alongside the national team on TV screens.
Depending on the offer he gets from the club, TMU could very well be set to lose one of its most remarkable athletes. Former TMU midfielder, Jacob Carlos, was selected by Winnipeg Valour FC in the 2021 U Sports Draft and departed the university after just one season with the program.
But Kinani was quick to bring up the fact that a developmental U Sports contract could see him suit up for another season with the Bold.
“[I want to show them] that I work hard, I’m disciplined. I stay committed, I stay focused, I try to help the team, in friendly games or anywhere I get the opportunity,” he said. “I leave the rest on God who will open the doors for me if it’s meant for me.”
As Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) adjusts to a new name and identity, the Bold’s performances haven’t always been the top storylines of the year. Said chaos has seen many statement wins, hard-fought victories and highlight performances go slightly under the radar. So, here are a few epic performances you may have missed from the 2022-23 athletic season so far:
Santos leads the Bold to the Finals
One of the highlights of TMU athletics this school year has been the men’s soccer team. Following a solid regular season where the Bold finished with a 9-3 record, the men’s soccer team made a run in the playoffs and found themselves one win away from making it to the U Sports National Championships. All that stood in their way was a semi-finals matchup against the University of Waterloo Warriors. In the semis,
midfielder Justin Santos rose to the occasion, scoring two of the Bold’s three goals in the match and assisting on the third to advance TMU to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference finals and U Sports nationals.
Braeden Andreoli tries his best in Waterloo
The TMU men’s rugby squad had an incredibly successful 2022 season, finishing with an undefeated 5-0 record. One of the key contributors to said success was scrum half Braeden Andreoli. In the Bold’s matchup against the University of Waterloo Warriors, Andreoli scored half of TMU’s points—with two tries and five converts as the Bold blew out the Warriors 40-5.
Rachel Farwell puts on a show in Oshawa
Despite heavy roster turnover following TMU’s national championshipwinning season, the 2022-23 TMU
Bold women’s basketball team has remained competitive against other elite teams in the OUA. Following a fourgame losing streak to start the season, the Bold went 7-3 in their next 10 games. One of TMU’s standout performers has been fourth-year forward Rachel Farwell—the last remaining starter on TMU’s roster from the U Sports National Championship game last year. Farwell’s experience showed through Dec. 3 on the road in Oshawa as she put up 25 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and four assists to help the Bold take down the Ontario Tech University Ridgebacks 89-60.
TMU curling season rocks
TMU’s men’s curling team came out looking for revenge this year. After losing to the Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks in the OUA Championship finals last season, the Bold started their 2022-23 season hot. In early January, TMU made a statement by winning the McMaster Invitational with an un-
defeated 5-0 record. The women’s curling team also swept through the competition to a bronze medal at the OUA championships Feb. 5 and now have U Sports nationals on the horizon.
Moore opens fire on the Marauders TMU’s women’s volleyball team has had a strong 2022-23 season, putting up wins against U Sports top
10 mainstays, such as the University of Guelph and Queen’s University. The Bold’s addition of two-time U Sports Second Team All-Canadian Julie Moore, has made the team’s intimidating front line even more dangerous. In a matchup against McMaster University last November, Moore put up 18 kills, 10 digs and two aces to lead the Bold past the Marauders in four sets.
“But that’s football and sometimes, you’re not meant to win.”
By Sam Dubiner
An unrequited love from all those summers ago.
A memory you wish could be forgotten now seems almost impossible to ignore.
Sitting across from you, outside Balzac’s; the disgraced former mascot of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)—Eggy the Ram. The one who abandoned you here on that hot summer night many years prior.
treating you?”
“I’ve moved on,” you announce confidently. “And by the way, their name is Falcon.”
Eggy watches as you shakily sip a freshly brewed cappuccino.
“‘Falcon’ is just a replacement for me,” says the two-horned ram. “They’re so new, they don’t even have a real name.”
You put your coffee down—the drink’s milky sweetness turned bitter from the mascot’s overbearing arrogance.
“Good for you, really,” the jerseyed behemoth continues, wiping away an embarrassingly large amount of froth from the corner of your top lip with their furry trotter.
This was supposed to be a relaxing coffee break between classes, why the hell did they have to show up?
“So I heard you settled,” the musty beast laughs. “How’s that cherry bird
You try to slap their four-fingered pad away from your mouth but immediately realize your mistake as the back of your hand sinks into that familiar soft, synthetic fur.
“What was that for?” you ask.
“You were growing a moustache,”
teases the mascot, wiping their hand on the leg of a passing student.
You angrily get up from your seat. “Did you really sit here just to be a condescending prick? What do you want, Eggy?” you say, frustrated and confused.
Suddenly, it’s silent. The not-sodistant sounds of sirens and the idle chatter of students becomes white noise, making the pregnant pause seem longer than it really is. Finally, Eggy speaks.
“Y/N,” they begin. “If you truly want to know, I came here to apologize. I’m sorry about how I treated you.”
You stare into their large beady eyes, bewildered.
“I told you already. I’ve moved on. Things aren’t like how they used to be. I’m happy.” Suddenly, the tall, furry mammal stands.
“But I missed—no, I miss you...”
Your heart stops for a moment. As they tower over your frame, you can’t help but wonder if the ram grew since you last saw each other. Their broad shoulders and enormous, muppet-like arms make the bur-fab buck appear larger than life.
You take a deep breath. Forgiveness is not for everyone, you remind yourself, taking solace in looking at the ground and staring at your saltcovered Timberlands.
“God, I hate winter,” you mumble, fiddling with your TMU beanie, anxiously avoiding the waiting ram barely an arm’s length away.
“What did you say?” Eggy asks, gazing into your soul.
The darkly rich, dual orbs that
A sequel to “Meet me in the hallway” from our Love, Sex and Fandom special issue
cemented your infatuation so many years ago still sparkle brightly like the North Star.
Eggy was your Polaris—a guiding light adorned with beautifully crafted fabric horns. Those damned eyes…
you at a loss for words. The tasteful thickness of the coat, oh my God, it even has a ram patch…
“Something wrong, Y/N? You’re sweating,” they say.
If the ram was capable of facial expressions, you know they would be sporting a huge shit-eating grin.
“You look like roadkill,” you remark, avoiding lecherous eyes.
“I hate winter,” you repeat, regaining your composure. “Falcon worked hard to get these boots for my birthday and they’re already stained with Toronto filth.”
Eggy’s gaze hardens as he begins to pick up his belongings, dissatisfied with what you just said.
“Must’ve taken Falcon quite a while to save up for those shoes on a mere mascot’s salary,” they taunt while donning a hardshell Arc’teryx jacket.
The coat’s elegant form and subtle blue colour scheme sculpt the mascot’s figure, awakening some latent sexual response that causes you to blush and take off your beanie in embarrassment.
Eggy sees your wriggling and takes the opportunity to move closer to you. You try to contain yourself as heavy condensation escapes the horned hunk’s breathing holes.
The last time we were this close, you think.
Eggy interrupts your thoughts.
“It’s Gore-tex,” they say smugly. “What do you think?”
Something about the way the jacket envelops Eggy’s body has
The ram draws even closer to you. “And you, the car that ran me over.”
“What are you talking about, Eggy?” you ask in a resigned tone.
Tracing his seductively big fingers across the side of your face, Eggy stares into your eyes and asks: “Do you think that love can bloom, even in a place like this?”
Unsure of what to say or do as you stand in front of a crowded coffee shop filled with sleep-deprived students, you stumble backwards. But instead of falling onto the hard pavement, you’re enveloped by the wings of your personal Horus—your very own falcon-headed saviour.
Your heart is quickly soothed by the aroma of clean laundry, mint isopropyl alcohol and the fluffiness of soft feathers.
That’s right, you think to yourself, if Eggy was my Polaris, then Falcon is both my Morning and Evening Star.
“If watered, a rose can bloom even in concrete,” the Falcon says. You’re too overwhelmed with emotion to understand what’s going on.
As the world around you begins to blur, you faintly see Falcon and Eggy glaring at each other.
You and your partner—or perhaps just a current friend-with-benefits—are on campus. Suddenly, a wave of horniness washes over you and there is a need to get it on—or under something—as soon as possible. Places to get right down to business should be soft, comfortable, at least decently sanitary and also usually private—but those are usually hard to come by at Toronto Metropolitan University.
To help you stay discreet and avoid getting into any stickier situations, The Eyeopener has curated a list of places to avoid doing the do on campus. These locations are well-exposed, unhygienic and not comfortable in any aspect, so you and your party of two can avoid them when the urges get too strong.
Victoria Building elevators
We know what you’re thinking and it is totally untrue—they will not slow down long enough to accommodate your wild fantasies.
However many hot minutes you think those rickety and dirty elevators will lag, it is definitely not enough time to reach a release before you’re face-to-face with a lost and doe-eyed first-year student. In conclusion: please don’t.
Bridge between Rogers Communications Centre and Kerr Hall
Forget getting caught doing the nasty on this breezy passage. None of that will matter if the foundations of the entire bridge crack and collapse while you’re doing the deed with intense determination. While we cannot corroborate the likelihood of the bridge collapsing due to your thunderous love-making, you can never be too careful. The chances may be low but are never zero.
Podium Building basement
Though there are various places to discreetly do the “horizontal tango” on some abandoned tables, there is absolutely zero ambiance for any sexy moments in the sunlight-scarce
basement of the Podium Building. Would you really like to boink your partner whilst listening to the background score of your own actions remixed with the creaking of that rusty table beneath you?
Recreation and Athletic Centre squash courts
Again, the windows. We assure you that the people who are trying to squeeze in a quick workout would rather be doing your quick workout—but it would be rude to rub it in their faces. Be a good samaritan and find a location that people cannot peek at from three different angles.
Gould Street Dumpsters
The location has the word “dumpster” in it. We believe no further explanation is needed.
The third floor couches of the Student Campus Centre
After climbing two and a quarter flights of stairs, obviously you would want to “knock boots” on the nearest surface. Now, the couches
situated beside the Toronto Metropolitan Student Union (TMSU) office sure do look comfy and maybe you could attempt a quickie there. Keep in mind though, would it really be the best idea to fornicate in front of the pointed looks of anyone exiting the TMSU office or the Multi-Faith room?
Sheldon & Tracy Levy Student
Learning Centre (SLC)
Really, here? Calling this area a public space would be an understatement because even the cashiers at the Eaton Centre’s H&M can sneak a peek at you having your corn grounded on the harsh pavement of the SLC steps.
To read the full story, please visit www.theyeopener.com
“The tasteful thickness of the coat, oh my God, it even has a ram patch”
“But I missed—no, I miss you”
KINZA ZAFAR/THE EYEOPENER
It’s pretty likely that you wouldn’t fancy being caught in the middle of badonkadonking by your professors here
